1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal device (portable communication terminal, hereinafter), in particular, relates to a folding type portable communication terminal with a digital camera as an imaging function. Specifically, the invention relates to a folding type portable communication terminal that has an upper case and a lower case and is designed such that the upper case is adapted to slide and rotate relative to the lower case.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known portable communication terminal with an imaging function such as a portable telephone is disclosed in JP-A No. 336498/1998. This portable communication terminal is so designed as to utilize an LCD (liquid crystal display) for telephone use as a finder as well during imaging. Imaging is conducted such that: a user operates the terminal to display an image of an object in real time onto an LCD, check the state of display, and then conduct imaging. The portable communication terminal is equipped with a folding type upper case in which the LCD is disposed on an inner main surface of the upper case. Thus, when the LCD is utilized as a finder during imaging, the upper case is kept open relative to a lower case.
Further, for recent portable telephones available on the market, a folding type has been most popular, because of its user-friendly design where its display screen is large in size and yet small size when folded. The portable telephone generally has a sub-display portion on the outer surface of the upper case. The sub-display portion is utilized such that the state of radio wave, date and time, and received information can be checked-visually even in a closed state of the upper case.
A folding type portable telephone having a digital camera is constructed such that a shift is made to a camera mode by user's key operation in an open condition of the upper case and imaging can be done while utilizing a main display portion as a finder.
Opening and closing motions of the above conventional folding type portable communication terminal are similar to opening and closing motions of a bivalve. That is, the portable communication terminal opens and closes using a pivot shaft parallel to a lower-side side of the upper case (an upper-end side of the lower case). According to this construction, a main display portion which is utilized during communication and an operating portion which includes ten key, talk key, and clearing key, are disposed on inner main surfaces of the upper and lower cases, respectively. And when the cases are closed, the main display portion and the operating portion are hidden inside in a mutually opposed state. On such structural grounds, for utilizing the main display portion as a finder during imaging, it is necessary to use the portable communication terminal in an open condition of the upper case. This is different from the form and way of handling of an ordinary camera. Such a way of use gives a sense of incongruity to a user and the operationality of the terminal device is inferior.
When imaging is to be done using the conventional folding type portable communication terminal, it is required as a precondition that first the cases should be opened, next Camera Mode Key should be depressed for shift to a camera mode, and thereafter a finger of a user should be moved to a shutter button to start an imaging operation. Thus, a problem has been encountered in point of operationality also from the standpoint of quick imaging.
The portable communication terminal disclosed in the JP-A No. 3364981/1998 may carry out imaging even in a closed state of the upper case. However, the LCD cannot be utilized as a finder during imaging and therefore a dedicated finder is separately provided and is utilized. Such a separate provision of a dedicated finder causes an increase of cost.